Italy Pope calls for better priestly training and unity of the Curia
Pope Leo XIV has published an apostolic letter on the priesthood and called for a change in the training of priests.
22.12.2025, 17:54
SDA
This should not be limited to the time in the seminary, it says. It must also continue permanently after ordination in order to enable constant human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral renewal, the Pontiff explained.
He also referred to the issue of abuse. "In recent decades, the crisis of confidence in the Church, triggered by acts of clerical abuse that fill us with shame and call us to humility, has made us even more aware of the urgent need for an integral formation that ensures the human growth and maturation of candidates for the priesthood together with a deep and solid spiritual life."
Appeal to the Curia for unity
In his Christmas message to the Roman Curia, he called on them to unity. Communion in the Church always remains a challenge, said the Pope. The pursuit of primacy must come to an end.
"Sometimes the spirits of division lurk behind an apparent calm. And these tempt us to vacillate between two opposing extremes: either to unify everything without appreciating the differences or, on the contrary, to overemphasize the differences and points of view instead of seeking communion." The Roman Curia comprises the governing and administrative bodies of the Holy See.
At the beginning of his address to the Curia, the Pope recalled his predecessor Pope Francis, who died in April. He had marked the path of the Church in these years and encouraged it to put mercy back at the center.
